The present invention relates to a spark plug connector, in particular for large engines such as large gas engines.
Spark plug connectors form a substantially rigid connection between spark plugs, which primarily in the case of large engines are recessed deep into bores in the engine block, and the spark plug leads which lead to at least one ignition coil. They may attain a length of more than half a meter. Their rigidity is selected such that, on the one hand, it is readily possible to push them onto the spark plug, preferably without the need for further tools, while on the other hand, the spark plug connectors typically have a certain residual flexibility. Thus, in most cases, they are not completely rigid.
It is furthermore known from the prior art that ohmic resistor elements can be used to suppress interference in ignition systems. The disadvantage of these interference suppression resistors is that they consume an unnecessarily high quantity of useful energy in order to damp the radio frequency disturbance. This lost energy must on the one hand be made available by the ignition system and on the other hand results in the components concerned, such as the spark plug connector, becoming hot. This heating is highly problematic since, as a result of the electrical insulation resistance demanded among other things of the spark plug connector, materials which may also be poor heat conductors are used. This problem becomes particularly acute if—as is conventional with large engines—ignition systems which generate very high levels of ignition power are employed.